I was just curious if there were any applicants or admitted students that didn’t receive national/international level awards, raised $100,000 fundraising, or went to a third world country to build a school?
For the first, yes. I know a number of such students.
I don’t know about the second because it’s not something one gets to know about a high school graduate. Didn’t pay any attention.
Paragraph 1: Yes. My daughter.
Paragraph 2: No idea. She had the equivalent of 5 or 6 years
Is there really a point to this question?
You don’t need national/intl awards. And raising 100k is no tip.
The only kids who might get by with two years of foreign language are those whose math choices are so advanced and there’s a legit schedule conflict with FL options.
BUT, for the mere mortal any applicant is, he or she still needs to outright match. It’s still a very tough game. OP, you need to be focused on what match is, to your targets, what they must find. You ask questions that show you need to stop and learn more about what the process is.
@lookingforward The reason I am asking about FL is because in my high school career, I will only be taking 2 Spanish classes, but will self study AP Spanish lang/lit. The reason I can’t fit FL into my schedule is because it is conflicting with other classes that I have interests in or classes that I really have to take, and I have already talked to my counselor about this.
OP, I just mean you’re asking a lot of questions that show you’re confused. You need a good college guide (like Fiske or Princeton Review) that explains the basics and helps you assess whether you match your targets. After that, you read everything the colleges say and show.
The C+ is an issue.
What other classes “interest you?” If they aren’t cores, you need to re-evaluate your choices. You want pre-med and a tippy top college, but I’m not sure you have the rigor. Even asking if kids get in without nat/intl awards or some big fundraising shows you misunderstand what tippy tops DO look for.
Self studying Span will only help if everything else in your app lines up. These colleges prefer the classroom environment with the lessons and interactions of the classroom. You might get by with an online classroom, but again, only if everything else in your app lines up.
Do you have safeties you’ll apply to?
@lookingforward Well, I am a rising junior and so sophomore year I had to skip Spanish 2 because it conflicted with Honors English II, but I did take Spanish freshman year. This school year I am taking Spanish 2, however, I am not sure if I will be able to take Spanish 3/AP Spanish senior year.
Read everything you can about UC admissions and look at a sample app/supp, to see what you’re going to present. Look at the USadmit % info a poster gave you in another thread. Those may not be safeties.
And you say most rigorous your hs offers. But some of the courses at Citrus may not be considered rigorous or cores by colleges- especially tippy tops.
I just want you to find the right range of targets for you, for your record.
@lookingforward here is the website for my school’s ECP program just to give you an insight: https://ghs-ausd-ca.schoolloop.com/ecp
The website on my school’s available courses: https://ghs-ausd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1356612861714/1338040806221/10543047947609243801521834234070.pdf
None of the UC’s you have listed are safety schools especially since you do not have any test scores. Here is UC admit rate data based on the capped weighted UC GPA (rogerhub calculator) I posted in one of my earlier posts on your other discussion thread. I will repost those 2019 acceptance rates for the UC’s here:
Admission Rates for California Applicants:
UCLA: 11.8%
UC Berkeley: 19.2%
UC Irvine: 21.3%
UC Santa Barbara: 26.9%
UC San Diego: 27.6%
UC Davis: 35.5%
UC Santa Cruz: 42.5%
UC Riverside: 55.8%
UC Merced: 77%
Safeties would be UC Riverside, Merced and Santa Cruz.
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 1%
UCLA: 2%
UCSD: 7%
UCSB: 8%
UCI: 7%
UCD: 14%
UCSC: 33%
UCR: 49%
UCM: 82%
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 10%
UCLA: 9%
UCSD: 34%
UCSB: 38%
UCD: 41%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 70%
UCR: 84%
UCM: 95%
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 4.20 or above capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 37%
UCLA: 41%
UCSD: 70%
UCSB: 80%
UCD: 89%
UCI: 75%
UCSC: 92%
UCR: 96%
UCM: 98%
2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages:
UCB: 4.23
UCLA: 4.25
UCSD: 4.23
UCSB: 4.16
UCI: 4.13
UCD: 4.13
UCSC: 3.96
UCR: 3.90
UCM: 3.73
Reality is even with a 4.0 uW GPA, great test scores, EC’s and essays, the top UC’s still should be considered a Reach for all applicants.
In order to have the best chance to get into selective colleges, taking the most rigorous curriculums your school offers is important. Within those curriculums, it’s important to have 4 years of English with AP English Lang and AP English Lit or the equivalent to those two at a college if you have access to one, as you do. 4 years of Mathematics with AP Calculus or college level calculus is Aldo very important. 3 -4 years of the sciences, with one AP or college level one after taking the Holy Trilogy (Bio, Chem, Physics) at high school level, 3 years of a history or Socisl studies, at the highest level possible. For my kids that was AP World, APUSH, APGovernment and/or European history Then There is Usually a recommendation for 4 years of one Foreign Language with the fourth year being APLev Again, one can replace the APs with college courses. Do note that the courses are very basic academic. That’s what the colleges like. Don’t fill up on off the path college courses if you are allowed Dual Enrollment. That’s where si see a lot of kids go astray,. They go off that well beaten path taking what they think are unusual, different, impressive courses. You want to take a couple of them, fine. They should be in ADDITION to the fundamental ones, not instead.
The prescribed courses above do not have to be followed exactly in order to get into a selective school. Yes, there is leeway. But like baking a cake, the closer you stay to the recipe, the closest to the ideal result. You can add garnishes, decor, change the flavor up, but staying with the basic ingredients is key, … unless you are such a master chef that you can make masterpiece. Most of us stick to the recipe.
So, the important thing for you is to follow a path like that as closely as you can. Don’t get distracted by Geology 101, Archaeology 100, etc etc.
In your case, being in CA, looking at the UC and Cal State formulas would be a very good idea. They are not far off from the basic guidelines, Imo.
It’s important to get good grades—sounds obvious, right? But it’s even more important when you take college courses because they will be part of your college record instead of being flushed once you go off to college like most high school courses. When you apply to med school, grad school, law school, those dual enrollment will be included with the grades you got. As a high schooler.
So pick solid academic courses, do your best in them, study for the tests needed for college admissions. Khan Academy or some other test prep. There will College choices for you.